Phone addiction in Indian children: the latest numbers

What parents are reporting

LocalCircles asked parents of school children in 302 districts of urban India about their children's online habits between November and December 2025, collecting over 57,000 responses. Two in three said their child was addicted to at least one of social media, video or online gaming, and some reported children spending more than six hours a day on the phone.

When 18,523 parents were asked how heavy online use had changed their child's behaviour, 61% said impatient, 58% aggressive, 50% hyperactive and 47% lethargic. Only 11% said happier. (The Week / PTI, 22 Dec 2025)

It starts very young

Researchers at AIIMS Raipur pooled Indian studies on young children and found that children under 5 average about 2.2 hours of screen time a day, around double the 1-hour limit recommended for ages 2 to 5. Children under 2 average about 1.2 hours, even though doctors advise no screens at all at that age. (WION, 9 Jul 2025)

A large global study by Sapien Labs, covering more than 100,000 young adults, found that the younger people were when they got their first smartphone, the worse their mental wellbeing scores as young adults. (Greater Kashmir / IANS, 21 Jul 2025)

Phones are now in almost every home

It isn't only a big-city issue. The ASER 2024 survey of rural India found 89% of children aged 14–16 have a smartphone at home, 76% use one, and 31% own their own. 57% used it for something educational. (Greater Kashmir, 4 Feb 2025)

In cities, a study for smartphone maker vivo with CyberMedia Research found children aged 10–16 spend 3.5 hours a day on their phones, and their parents 4.4 hours. 91% of children said conversations feel easier when phones are put away. (The Week / PTI, 11 Dec 2025)

The effects doctors are seeing

Eye doctors report that myopia (short-sightedness) among urban children aged 5–15 rose from 4.44% in 1999 to 21.15% in 2019, and project it could reach about 48% by 2050, linking the rise to screen use and less time outdoors. (DT Next / IANS, 14 May 2024)

In January 2026 the government's Economic Survey 2025-26 flagged digital addiction as a growing problem, linking compulsive scrolling and gaming to sleep loss, aggression, social withdrawal and depression in young people. It suggested a digital wellness curriculum in schools and offline spaces for young people. The Tele-MANAS mental health helpline has received over 32 lakh calls since October 2022. (DT Next / IANS, 29 Jan 2026)

Reading these numbers carefully

• Parent surveys measure what parents feel, not a medical diagnosis. "Addicted" in a survey isn't the same as gaming disorder.
• ASER covers rural India; the vivo and LocalCircles surveys cover cities. Numbers from different surveys can't be added up.
• The vivo study was paid for by a phone company. We include it because its screen-time figures match other findings.

What you can do this week

• Check your child's real screen time for one week before changing anything.
• Agree simple rules together: no phones at meals, in the bedroom, or in the hour before sleep.
• Cut down step by step and replace the time with outdoor play. It helps eyes and sleep too.
• Use a tool to keep the rules, such as SafeParent's daily limits, app hours and bedtime lock.

Read the full plan: How to reduce your child's phone addiction (हिंदी).

Sources

• The Week (PTI): Majority of parents surveyed admit children addicted to online platforms, 22 Dec 2025
• WION: Indian children under 5 average 2.2 hours of screen time, 9 Jul 2025
• The Week (PTI): vivo Switch Off Study 2025, 11 Dec 2025
• Greater Kashmir: ASER 2024 smartphone findings, 4 Feb 2025
• Greater Kashmir (IANS): Smartphones before 13 study, 21 Jul 2025
• DT Next (IANS): Myopia in Indian children, 14 May 2024
• DT Next (IANS): Economic Survey flags digital addiction, 29 Jan 2026

Figures are as reported by the news sources linked above. This page is general information, not medical advice.